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Domestic Violence
Domestic violence should not happen to anybody. Ever.
Period.
But it does - and when it does, there is help. Maybe you
have lived with abuse, maybe it happened just once; maybe
you work or live next to someone who is being abused right
now.
Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by
one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners
may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay, or
lesbian; living together, separated, dating, friends or
family.
Violence can be criminal and includes
physical assault (hitting, pushing, shoving, etc.), sexual
abuse (unwanted or forced sexual activity), stalking
and harassment. Although emotional, psychological and
financial abuse are not criminal behaviors, they are forms
of abuse and can lead to criminal violence.
The violence
takes many forms and can happen all
the time or once in a while. An
important step to help yourself or
someone you know in preventing or
stopping violence is recognizing the
warning signs listed on the
Battering
Personalities or the
Survival
Signals.
ANYONE CAN BE A VICTIM!
Victims can be of any age, sex,
race, culture, differing abilities, religion, education,
employment, socio-economic or marital status.
Although both men and women can be
abused, most victims are women.
Children in homes where there is
domestic violence are more likely to
be abused and/or neglected. Most
children in these homes know about
the violence. Even if a child is not
physically harmed, they may have
emotional and behavior problems.
If you are being abused,
REMEMBER
-
You
are not alone
-
It is
not your fault
-
Help
is available
Adapted from:
www.domesticviolence.org |
